At least seven women and girls, including three children, have died and a baby is missing after a migrant boat capsized just meters from the dock at the port of El Hierro, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, on Wednesday, according to emergency services.

The victims include two five-year-old girls and a 16-year-old girl, highlighting the devastating toll the incident has taken on young lives. Emergency responders said the boat was carrying approximately 150 migrants from Africa when it overturned just five meters (16 feet) from shore during the disembarkation process.

Spanish authorities believe the boat capsized when too many passengers stood up at once in a moment of confusion and instability. “This is the most delicate part of the rescue,” said Anselmo Pestana, the Spanish government’s delegate in the Canary Islands. “Usually, the vessels are escorted all the way to port to prevent incidents like this. This moment is very important.”

Pestana noted that the sea conditions have been rough in recent days, and many of the migrants were in a state of extreme exhaustion and physical stiffness, having endured a perilous and prolonged journey at sea. “It’s likely they sank very quickly because they didn’t even have the ability to move as a healthy person would,” he said.

Emergency medical teams treated a three-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl for severe non-fatal drowning. Both were airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital. Four other children were hospitalized with breathing difficulties.

This marks the first migrant boat arrival to El Hierro in approximately two weeks. The island has seen an increase in arrivals as part of the broader Canary Islands migration route, one of the most dangerous sea crossings in the world.

So far in 2024, nearly 47,000 migrants have attempted the treacherous journey from northwest Africa to the Canary Islands. Human rights group Walking Borders reported that nearly 10,000 people died attempting the crossing in 2023 alone, making this route one of the deadliest for migrants worldwide.

“It is a tragedy that puts a human face on the crisis of immigration,” Pestana said, as recovery operations and support services continue on the island.

Authorities are still searching for the missing baby, and rescue efforts remain ongoing. (ILKHA)